Summer League game #2: Bobcats cruise past Mavs

Charlotte looked sharp most of the night, especially when the key players were in the game on their way to a victory. Charlotte led the entire game. The team was very cognizant of help D + driving lanes/gaps on the defensive end — Charlotte looks pretty sharp defensively for a summer league team. The 27 Bobcats turnovers kept Dallas within striking distance in the 4th, but the 25-point deficit was ultimately too much for the Mavs.

Let’s have a glance at some of the impact performances for Charlotte on the way to their first victory in Vegas this summer.

Cody Zeller: Statistically, he dominated this game with 21 points (6-12 FG) & 13 rebounds. Zeller has a clear ability to catch the ball at the high post and read the defense extremely well — he uses his eyes and head fake effectively to 1) kick it out for open 3, 2) find the diver to the rim or 3) exploit the driving lane that comes available from the defense reacting. This is the sign to an extremely smart player. To put it into terms that all can understand, Zeller has the ability to basically become a team quarterback from the high post area. The icing on the cake tonight was Cody going 9-9 from the foul line.

Jeffery Taylor: 19 points & 5 rebounds. He’s been extremely aggressive on the offensive end so far this summer league. Great sign for a 2nd year player who had a reputation last season of being overly passive. Taylor is starting to take advantage of his athletic ability and if he continues to improve his handle, well, he could eventually become the best bargain Charlotte has ever landed in the draft.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: 100% from the field (4-4). Yeah, it was only 4 shots, but still — efficiency. I thought MKG had an excellent defensive game and gave maximum effort on that end of the floor. It’s awesome to see this because it’s only summer league + MKG is making a statement to all his teammates. He took two mid-range jumpers in the 2nd half that both ripped the net + appeared to have a bit more fluidity in the jumper. Still a hitch, but noticeably more fluid motion.

Bismack Biyombo: Impacted the game in the ways that you expect Biz too. 8 points & 7 rebounds. Biz, like Taylor, appears to also be playing with more confidence. He’ll never have a center of gravity and forever mimic a noodle on the floor, but his hands looked respectable tonight. As to say he was catching the ball with some consistently when it was thrown to him. On a side note, Biz is really going to benefit from QB Zeller at the high post with a lot of easy dunks off of defensive rotation.

Jerome Dyson: 5 turnovers somewhat headlines the stats for him, but this kid can really defend. Big + physical guard that can create on the offensive end for his teammates. There’s no doubt that he’s a long shot to make the team, but his defensive intangibles to go along with his frame + ability to get to the rim make him interesting.

Troy Daniels: Only played 11 minutes and went 2-6 from the field, but his ability to shoot the 3 + 6’4 frame make him a legitimate contender to make this roster before it’s all said and done.